County honored for Amendment 10 implementation

The Florida Association of Counties has given a Best Practices Award to Volusia County Government for its rapid and comprehensive implementation of changes required by the passage of Amendment 10 in 2018. The voter-approved ballot measure created constitutional elected offices for the sheriff, tax collector, supervisor of elections and property appraiser.

As soon as the amendment was approved, County Manager George Recktenwald appointed Business Services Director Jeaniene Jennings to head a team of division directors tasked with conducting in-depth research; reaching out to the county’s constitutional officers; and developing a plan for support services such as accounting, budget, fleet and facilities management, health insurance, human resources, information technology, legal services, purchasing and risk management.

Despite an inconvenient pandemic, they worked diligently for two years to ensure that the transition was seamless for residents, Recktenwald noted.

When the amendment took effect on Jan. 5, 2021, Volusia County was the first county out of the starting gate. Since then, the team has shared its documents and process with other counties that needed assistance.